Novelty devices



June 24, 1958 A. E.IWILLIAMS 2,839,858

' NOVELTY DEVICES Filed April 28, 1955 1N VENTOR Audra E. Wi/Uoms ATTORNEY United States Patent NOVELTY DEVICES Audra E. Williams, Holland, Tex.

Application April 2 8, 1955, Serial No. 504,432

2 Claims. 7 (Cl. 40-68) This invention relates to novelty devices and more particularly to novelty devices having indicating means.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved novelty device having an indicating device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described having a plurality of rotatable aligned indicia wheels which may be each independently set.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved device, of the type described, which may be secured in a vehicle and whose indicia wheels may be set to indicate a particular mileage, as determined by the speedometer of the vehicle, at which a trip of the vehicle was started, the oil in the vehicle was changed, or any other event occurred.

Another object is to provide a device, of the type described, mounted on a base provided with a means by which device may be easily and securely attached to the vehicle.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will 'be readily apparent from the reading of the following descript-ion of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a novelty device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of the device; and v Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of another modified form of the device.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawing, the novelty device 10 includes a body in the shape of an emblem, or figure 11, which may be that of a winged horse or any other desired shape, mounted on a pedestal or base 12, which may be integral with the figure 11. A permanent magnet 13 is securely disposed in the lower end of the pedestal adjacent the bottom thereof so that the device will be held securely in place by the magnetic force of the magnet 13 whenever the bottom of the pedestal abuts an object made of a magnetic substance, e. g. the dashboard of an automobile.

The pedestal may be cast or moulded about the magnet, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, or the magnet may be held in a recess in the pedestal by means of an adhesive or by any other suit-able means.

The figure 11 is provided with a transverse slot or recess 15 which is reducedforwardly to form a narrow elongate window 16 at the front of the figure. The rear of the transverse slot 15 is closed by a cover 17 having a pair of forwardly and upwardly extending lugs 18 which extend into vertical rearwardly opening recesses 19 of the figure. The lugs 18 are provided with transverse pro- ICC tuberances 20 which engage and embed in the sides of the recesses 19 and about which the cover is adapted to pivot upwardly to uncover the recess or slot 15. The cover is normally held inclosed position by spring catches 22 which extend forwardly from the cover and engage the bottom surface 23 of the recess 15. I

The cover is curved outwardly at its lower edge, as at 25, to provide a nail recess by means of which a finger nail may be inserted between the figure 11 and the lower edge of the cover to pivot the cover upwardly toward open position.

A transverse horizontal shaft 27 extends transversely through the transverse recess 15 of the figure 11 and has its ends disposed in slots 28 which communicate with the transverse recess. The ends of the shaft are rigidly secured in these slots by an adhesive or by any other suitable means.

Mounted in the shaft 27 in the recess 15 are a plurality of indicia wheels 30 along whose peripheries are disposed the numerals 0 through 9, which are visible through the forward window 16 of the figure 11. The indicia wheels 30 are firmly but rotatably mounted on the shaft 27, so that a slight amount of force will rotate them on the shaft but so that they will remain in any posit-ion to which they are rotated.

In use, the device may be mounted on a dashboard or other interior surface of an automobile by placing the bottom of the pedestal thereon, whereupon the magnet 13 holds the device securely in place. The indicia wheels may then be individually rotated on the shaft 27 until a desired mileage is seen through the window 16. This mileage may be the mileage at which the oil in the vehicle was last changed, or the mileage indicated by the speedometer at the beginning of a trip, or any other numerical figure of importance to the operator ofthe vehicle. This numerical figure can be changed, of course, when the oil is again changed, or at the beginning of the next trip.

In Figure 5 is shown a modified form of the novelty device wherein the emblem 33 mounted on the base 12 is in the form of an ellipse. In Figure 6, the modified form of the novelty device includes an emblem 34 mounted on the base 10 which is in the form of a circle or disc.

It is also believed manifest htat the indicia wheels may be in the form of flat overlapping discs having the numerals thereon and exposed through the window 16 in the body.

It will be seen now that a new novelty device has been described and illustrated which includes an emblem or figure representation mounted on a pedestal 10, having a permanent magnet by means of which it may be detachably secured to a dashboard or the like. It will also be seen that the emblem or representation is provided with a recess 15 in which are rotatably mounted indicia wheels 30 having indicia on their peripheries, the indicia of each wheel being individually visible through a window 16 of the representation or emblem which opens into the recess 15.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the construction illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

3'. means being visible through said window; and a cover mounted on the rear surface of the emblem and openably closing the rear opening of said recess.

2. A device: comprising: a pedestal; a solid emblem on saidipedestal formed integral" therewith and having front and, rear planar surfaces said pedestal; and said emblemv being, formed of non-magnetic plastic material, said emblenrhaving a transversev recessformed therein fully open at the rear surface of said emblem, said emblem havinga reducedforward window in its front surface opening into said recess; a fixed shaft extending substantially centrally through said recess transversely of said pedestal; a plurality of wheels frictionally rotatably mounted on said shaft, narrow sections of the periphery of said wheels being visible. through-said Window, said wheels having: indiciat on their periphery whereby said wheels maybe rotatedronsaid shaft to expose said indicia through saidwindowta cover mounted on the rear surface of the emblem openably closingthe rear opening of the recess at the rear surface of the emblem; said pedestal being flared outwardly toward its lower end to provide anamplified planarv base surface at such lower end; and a permanent magnet fixedly secured in said pedestal and having a face exposed in the plane of the planar base surface at the lower end of the pedestal; whereby said magnet will hold said planar surface in contact with a metallic surface to support the device in an upright position on said metallic surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 619,616 Reeves Feb. 14, 1899 857,754 Powers June 25, 1907 1,593,637 Miller July 27, 1926 1,656,227 Patchin Jan. 17, 1928 1,742,567 West Jan. 7, 1930 1,828,896 Hershey Oct. 27, 1931 2,217,514 Henry Oct. 8, 1940 2,659,169 Brennan Nov. 17, 19 53 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,015/28 Australia Aug. 11, 1928 

